Dodgeball: A Kim Possible Story
by jkrust78
Summary: Kim and Ron are called to Senior Island for a mission that turns out to be very different from all the others involving our favorite Spaniards.  This is my sequel to "Graduation."
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: After yet another hiatus, I've managed to write the first chapter of the sequel to "Graduation." I hope you all enjoy it as much as the first story. As always, a big thank you to DeucesWild for beta reading!_

_Legal Disclaimer: Kim Possible, characters, situations, and dialogue are property of the Disney Company. I do not own any of the above, nor am I attempting to make any profit from the publishing of this story. _

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><p>Dodgeball: A Kim Possible Story<p>

Ask anyone who works a normal work week and they will probably tell you that time passes the slowest during the last half-hour of your shift. This proved to be very true for a young blonde-haired man who happened to be working in the pet department of the Middleton Smarty Mart on a Friday afternoon.

Ron Stoppable kept staring at the clock on the wall behind the counter of the pet department, almost to the point of being obsessive. Fifteen minutes more and he would be free; not only for the weekend but also the following Monday and a good part of Tuesday. He had arranged his work schedule this way on purpose to maximize the time he could spend with girlfriend, the one and only Kim Possible. They both were overdue for some much needed downtime, so they decided to arrange their work schedule to have the coming weekend off. As there were no pending disasters at either Smarty Mart or Club Banana (where Kim worked), it appeared their plan would succeed.

It had been almost two weeks since they had both graduated from the halls of Middleton High School. As if their graduation wasn't a notable event, the subsequent alien invasion that followed certainly was. It had fallen to Kim and Ron to once again not only save the world, but their hometown from two Lorwardian warriors bent on the destruction and enslavement of humanity; not to mention the personal vendetta they carried against the teens.

In the battle that followed, many things had come to pass. Ron was finally able to unlock and control his once dormant Mystical Monkey Power, due in large part to the threat posed by the two aliens on his girlfriend. For a good portion of his life, Ron had been deathly afraid of almost everything; be it as small as a spider or as large as one their enemies' henchmen. But when he saw his best friend since pre-K—not to mention his girlfriend as of the junior prom—being held up by her ankles like some cheap trophy while the two aliens who had knocked her out stood there with malevolent sneers on their faces, something snapped in his brain.

What happened next was, ironically, best described by their longtime foe Shego as Ron stepping up, _Monkey Style_. Using strength he never knew he had until that point, Ron took on both Warmonga and Warhok and thoroughly manhandled both of them, even throwing them into their gigantic ship that hovered overhead (presumably killing them when the ship exploded). However, his moment of triumph was short-lived, as the impact of the two space marauders with their own ship caused a chain reaction nuclear explosion that not only threatened to wipe Middleton off the map, but would destroy both him and Kim.

Using every last ounce of strength, Ron dove to cover his prone girlfriend to protect her from the blast wave; all while his MMP surrounded his body and created a protective force field. This force field expanded rapidly to create a protective bubble that shielded the entire city from the nuclear explosion. It was an awesome display of power that left the people who had witnessed it directly speechless. The lifelong slacker and underachiever had stepped up in the clutch and the entire town—not to mention a certain red headed heroine—had him to thank for saving their lives.

Of course—Ron being Ron—he had yet to tell anyone that it was him that had saved Middleton. In typical fashion, he preferred to stay out of the limelight and allowed Kim to take the credit, although he was certain that it bothered her that he did so. After the incident, when the two of them were put on the spot by the press as to what exactly happened that fateful evening, Kim wasn't about to give up Ron's secret willingly. However, she made it a point to make sure everyone knew that they were a team and she couldn't do all the things she did without him by her side.

It seemed more like hours, but finally the minutes crept down to where there were only a few moments left in his shift. Ron could feel his anticipation as he sat at the employee table in the break room. There wasn't much going on that day in his department and he had retreated to the back when his relief had showed up five minutes early for their shift.

Finally, the clock struck the magic hour of five o'clock. As fast as he could, Ron tossed his orange employee's vest in his locker and quickly punched his employee code into the electronic clock to officially sign out from his shift; a satisfying beep from the machine as it processed the transaction. For the next three and a half days, Ron Stoppable was a free man!

Walking quickly, Ron exited the employee break room and headed through the maze of aisles that made up the store. To say he was in a good mood was an understatement; knowing that Kim would be waiting for him in the parking lot when he exited work. He was in the middle of sending her a text to say he was leaving when a voice that always managed to chill him to the bone whenever he heard it called his name.

"Stoppable!"

Ron froze in his tracks. He knew exactly who was addressing him. It was a voice that always struck fear into him, whether it was within the halls of his old high school, or now at his place of employment. Exhaling hard, he turned around to face the speaker.

Striding towards him with an all-too-familiar menacing scowl on his face was his former high school vice-principal—and now Smarty Mart co-worker—Steve Barkin. It was a look that Ron knew all too well… and it usually meant bad things were about to happen to him.

"Hey Mr. B, what's up?" he asked innocently. Even though they were both employees and therefore not required to address each other as formally as they did when he was a student, Ron knew that if he called Mr. Barkin by his first name he would only draw the ire of the ex-military man.

For his part, Barkin just glowered at him as he responded. "We've got a situation, Stoppable," he began. "Apparently someone finally bought one of the Lemmings that we've been trying to sell for the last couple of months. But when Barry took the one we sold out of the cage he forgot to lock the door. Next thing we know there were about thirty of them following their friend through the front door and out into the parking lot…"

Ron sighed. "I told corporate last month that selling Lemmings probably wasn't such a hot idea. I mean, I know they wanted some more exotic animals in here and I thought selling Lemurs, Parakeets, and even Kiwis would be okay, but Lemmings? Who the heck owns a Lemming?" Ron pondered while his former vice-principal steamed in front of him. Noting the former jarhead's darkening mood, he quickly got back on topic. "But look on the bright side Mr. B, there's no cliffs around here so they should be alright, right?" Ron inquired hopefully.

"You don't get it, Stoppable," Barkin hissed at him while his eyes grew wider. "We're right by the Interstate. I don't have to tell you what will happen if all those _things_ try to cross it!"

Ron grimaced at the thought of Lemmings trying to cross a busy Interstate. Normally he would have stayed overtime to help out in a situation like this, but since he knew a certain red-haired girlfriend of his was waiting for him in the parking lot, he knew that staying at work late would cause her to become severely tweaked, even if she knew his intentions were noble.

Being a lifelong slacker, Ron also knew how to work the system when it came to avoiding doing something. His work ethic had improved dramatically in his last year of high school, but some habits died hard for the tow-headed young man. "You know Mr. Barkin, I'd love to help out with this sitch but I don't think I'm allowed to," he stated.

"What do you mean Stoppable?" Barkin was both perplexed and indignant. "Listen, I'm one of the assistant managers; so when I say jump you're supposed to say how high!"

"True," Ron noted, "but according to the Smarty Mart employee handbook—Rule 12 Section C—'no employee is allowed to work overtime unless given clearance by the store manager at least 24 hours in advance…' " Ron recited the rule off the top of his head.

Barkin wanted to say something, but stopped mid-sentence to think furiously. Slowly, the burly assistant manager came to the realization that his former student may have outwitted him… at least, this time. "Alright, Stoppable; maybe you're right. I'll have to talk to the store manager to clear this up," he groused, affixing a stare at Ron signaling that he was not convinced the young man was telling the truth and just trying to get out of doing honest work.

"No problem Mr. B; he's probably still in the watch department dealing with angry customers that didn't quite understand our latest promotion," Ron offered nervously. "Frankly, I'm not sure how they could get away with selling watches that don't work in the first place."

"What's wrong with selling stopped watches?" Barkin inquired. "They're right twice a day."

Ron wanted to dispute his former teacher's logic, but then wisely thought better of it. Figuring that his former teacher didn't need him anymore, Ron turned to leave the store.

"Wait a minute, Stoppable!" Barkin called after him. "Who's going to help me get the Lemmings back in here?"

"You could always ask Tommy, he didn't seem too busy when I left him in charge of the pet department," Ron suggested.

"Tommy?" Barkin asked incredulously. "But he's brand new here, he doesn't have any experience!"

"Well, maybe this is his chance of getting some," Ron suggested.

"Hmm…maybe you're right Stoppable…" Barkin left Ron and headed in the direction of the pet department with a determined look on his face. For the first time since he was cornered, Ron exhaled with relief. However, that relief was short-lived as he was convinced that he'd be working overtime when he came in next week. Ron was certain that being recruited by Steve Barkin to collect Lemmings would lead to the young employee to quit, forcing Ron to take up the extra hours.

Shuddering at Tommy's predicament, Ron wasted no time heading to the front of the store and the main exit to the parking lot.

It didn't take Ron very long to spot the familiar, magenta-colored hatchback parked near the Smarty Mart entrance and bathed in the late afternoon sun. Kim had the windows down and the radio was playing tunes from the local Top-40 station as he approached the vehicle. Wordlessly, he opened the passenger side door and sat on the comfortable seat of his girlfriend's car. It was only then that the blond haired young man let out a sigh of relief. For the next few days he was free from work.

Kim lifted her stylish sunglasses on top of her head before leaning towards her boyfriend to give him the usual kiss they always gave each other in greeting. However, when their lips parted this time, she affixed Ron with a quizzical stare.

"What's wrong Ron?" Kim inquired. "You didn't say anything when you got in the car and you have that look on your face that you get when something is bothering you."

Ron turned to face his red-haired companion. "It's nothing KP, just a rough day at work. There wasn't much going on today in the pet department, and the waiting for my shift to end was killing me. I couldn't wait for the day to end so we could spend time together… at least _away_ from my house."

"Yeah," Kim smiled and reached out to squeeze his hand. "I felt the same way too at Club Banana. Going to Denver for a few days and getting out of your house—away from both our parents and the tweebs—will be good for both of us… are you sure there's nothing else bothering you?"

"Well…" Ron began, "there is something else, but I don't want to bother you with it right now. At least, not until we get home and I get some food in me. I'm kinda hungry right now."

Kim giggled. There were some constants in life, and one of them was Ron Stoppable being hungry. She decided to let the matter drop but not entirely. "Alright mister, but I'm not leaving this lot until you turn that frown upside down." With that, she leaned over again; only this time she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with much more force and passion than their previous encounter.

Trying to resist his girlfriend's advances proved futile for Ron… although he wasn't exactly complaining either. Returning his girlfriend's embrace, the two of them stayed like that for a while, until they were both feeling satisfied.

"Wow…" Ron commented as Kim broke the embrace and started her car. "Remind me to have more bad days at work if it means badically hot KP kisses like that!"

"You're welcome baby," she cooed, "and I'm really glad that made you feel better." Adjusting her sunglasses she pulled the Sloth out of the parking spot. When she got to the parking lot exit, Ron noticed that she was signaling to take the exit that led to the Interstate.

"Uh…KP…you might not want to go on the Interstate," Ron motioned.

"Why shouldn't I go on the Interstate, Ron? Isn't it faster to get home that way? We can cut around most of Middleton."

"Normally, yeah; but today there may be possible traffic tie-ups."

"What do you mean possible traffic tie-ups?" Kim was perplexed. "Caused by what?"

"Lemmings," was the only reply from sandy haired young man beside her.

"_Lemmings_?" Kim repeated with an arched eyebrow and a _do-I-want-to-know_ look.

"Trust me Kim; you don't want to know…" Ron read her mind almost perfectly.

Kim sighed. Although her inquisitive nature was demanding an explanation as to why she should take a detour, she also knew that Ron wouldn't be telling her to do so without a good reason. "Alright, we'll take the long way home. Will your stomach make it?" she inquired with a hint of sarcasm.

"There may be suffering on the part of the Ron-man, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made," Ron announced soberly.

Kim rolled her eyes and instead of turning onto the Interstate, turned down the road that went through town.

* * *

><p>Surprisingly, Kim and Ron made it back to the Stoppable residence in only slightly more time than it would have taken had they gone their original route. Pulling the car into the driveway, both teens got out and made their way into the house together. Since the alien invasion, Kim and her family had been staying at Ron's house with his family; which was turning into both a blessing and a curse for the red-headed heroine.<p>

On one hand, she got to spend a large amount of time with Ron—especially considering they both weren't in school anymore—but she also had to contend with spending time in close quarters with the rest of her family and Ron's family. She had to sleep on the couch in the living room while her parents got the spare bedroom and her brothers slept downstairs. Ron, meanwhile, got his old room back after giving it up temporarily to his sister Hana. Kim would have loved to sleep in Ron's room with him—even if it was only once or twice—but she knew that it wouldn't look very good on either of them if she did.

At least at her house Kim had her own bathroom, and her loft bedroom was well protected against her brothers. But at Ron's, she was forced to share a bathroom with everyone else and was also more vulnerable to her brother's intrusions. Thankfully, work on her house was beginning next week. Her family had cleaned out what they could of the wreckage and hauled the rest away. Now the contractor could begin the reconstruction phase.

While Kim definitely looked forward to her house being re-built, a part of her was still having trouble getting past the loss. The contractor promised to built it exactly how it was before, but in Kim's mind she wasn't sure that she could fully accept her rebuilt home.

She put these thoughts aside as she walked into the Stoppable's living room where her mother and Ron's mother were talking over a pot of afternoon tea. "Oh, hi you two," Anne Possible addressed them cheerfully. "Dinner won't be ready for another half-an-hour. We're waiting on your father to get home from the space center; apparently there was a slight delay with one of the projects and he's working a little bit later than usual."

"I'll be fine Mom, but I'm not sure about the bottomless pit here," Kim motioned with her thumb and a good-natured smirk towards the young man standing next to her.

Ron didn't say anything but his stomach rumbled—almost on cue—earning muffled laughter from the three women in the room.

"So…what is for supper?" Kim asked after stifling her giggles.

"Well…since we've been spending so much time here, I decided to teach Barbara some of my own recipes," Anne indicated to Ron's mother. "So tonight we're going to be having Brain Loaf, Stoppable style."

"It was actually quite easy," Ron mother chimed in. "It was just a matter of getting the meat into the moulds."

"Sounds great Mom," Kim tried hard not to gag. In reality, Kim did enjoy the taste of her mother's unique interpretation of meatloaf, just not always the presentation. It didn't help that her brothers would fight over who got the temporal lobe or cortex, rendering the situation completely gorchy in her opinion.

Ron certainly had no problem with the taste or texture of his girlfriend's mother's signature dish, as his reaction attested to. "I can't wait to see how it comes out; did you have any trouble with the medulla oblongata?"

"Ron! So not helping right now!"

"Hey, what can I say; I dig your mom's mad presentation style," Ron admitted.

"Was there any mail mom?" Kim attempted to change the subject away from dinner.

"Why yes dear," Anne responded. "It's on a pile on the dining room table. I think its more acceptance letters.

As soon as she said this Ron's face fell and he began studying the floor. Kim instantly caught this and suddenly realized what was bothering her boyfriend. "By any chance were any of them for Ron?" she asked hopefully.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure honey," Anne thought for a moment. "There were a lot of them as usual and it looks like most of them were addressed to you. I didn't check them all… plus there's a whole bunch upstairs in your room that we haven't gone through yet."

Anne looked at her only daughter wistfully. "I still can't believe how many letters you keep getting…" Kim's eyes went wide and she began nodding her head silently in Ron's direction. Anne realized what she had just said and put her hand over her mouth in embarrassment. She hadn't meant to make Ron feel worse, but unfortunately that may have been the case as the towheaded teen's shoulders slumped even more.

Kim sighed and grabbed his hand and guided him to the dining room. It was true what her mother had said, though. The flow of college acceptance letters hadn't slowed down since she moved to Ron's place. Unfortunately, Ron still hadn't heard anything from any of the places he had applied, and those places he had applied were few and far between. Kim wished that just one place would finally see the potential that she had always seen in him. It would also make her decision where to go to school much easier since she really wanted to go somewhere as close to him as possible.

"Don't worry Ron; I'm sure there's a letter for you in that pile somewhere." Kim motioned to the pile of letters on the dining room table.

"Easy for you to say KP," Ron sounded surprisingly bitter. "You've been getting these letters for almost a month. I haven't even gotten a polite letter telling me to get lost."

"I know it's hard, but you have to be positive. I know that someone somewhere sees what I see in you," Kim said, grabbing his hand and guiding him to one of the chairs at the table. "There's only one way to find out, help me sort out this pile."

"If it's alright with you Kim, I'm going to hang out in my room until dinner," he replied and turned to leave the dining room. He didn't want Kim to see the disappointment on his face, nor did he want to be disappointed when once again there was no letter addressed to him.

Kim was about to say something when the familiar four tone chime of her wrist Kimmunicator went off. She was actually relieved to hear the sound, as it provided a quick change from the college sitch that was bothering Ron so much. "What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked as the diminutive tech guru came on the screen.

"A mission from Global Justice is the sitch," Wade replied cheerfully. "This one comes directly from Dr. Director herself, I might add."

"Wow, sounds serious if it's from Dr. Director," Ron chimed in from behind Kim. His college acceptance issues seemed to be forgotten for the moment.

"She didn't give me a lot of details," Wade addressed the two of them while tapping his keyboard, "but she told me to round up Team Possible and get you guys to the airport for immediate transport to the Mediterranean. She specifically wants both of you and Rufus on this mission."

"The Mediterranean…" Kim repeated, "that can only mean one thing: the Seniors."

"Great, I could always use some exercise dodging spinning tops of doom," Ron interjected.

"Random; but true in this case," Kim mused. "When will our ride get here, Wade?"

"I can get a car to Ron's place in about ten minutes," the young genius offered.

"That should be more than enough time," Kim smiled at him. "Any other details we should know about?"

"Sorry, guys; this is actually a highly classified mission, according to Dr. Director. I'm not allowed to tell you anything else until she gives me clearance."

Kim found it rather strange that Dr. Director wouldn't clue them in on the mission details. For the time being, she decided to rationalize that she would get briefed on the way there. "Thanks anyway, Wade; we'll contact you again when we arrive at the island. Kim out."

"I'll go find Rufus. He's probably still with your brothers in the basement," Ron said as he rushed off to find his naked mole rat.

"Okay, I'll meet you down here in five minutes."

Kim headed to the spare bedroom where she kept her mission gear. She hoped the mission would force him to get his head in the game and forget his troubles, but at the same time she realized that this had to be what was bothering him earlier. While he didn't want to burden her with it—which was typical for Ron—she knew that eventually they would have to talk about it.

* * *

><p>The intercom in the airplane buzzed and a red light flashed. Kim woke up with a start. For a moment she was disoriented, but the sound of snoring next to her quickly focused her mind. They were both in the bed of the passenger cabin of a Global Justice transport jet crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Normally they would have flown in a supersonic GJ hovercraft capable of delivering them to the other side of the Atlantic in a few hours, so Kim was more than a little surprised that they would be flying in a relatively slow transport jet that would take overnight to reach the Mediterranean. Between the unusual transportation and the whole secrecy of the mission, Kim was becoming more than a bit perplexed.<p>

There was, however, an upside to the current sitch, and that upside involved a private cabin with a bed for two. It was in this bed that she looked over lovingly at the form next to her. Ron continued to slumber and mumble in his sleep, despite the racket. On one of the piles of clothes next to the bed Rufus was stirring, but appeared to still be half asleep.

Realizing she was the only one that could do anything about the flashing light and noisy buzzer, Kim pulled herself out of the bed and onto her feet. The cold floor of the cabin shocked her system even further and she quickly walked over to the intercom. "Yes?" she asked in a voice that was louder than usual because of the noise.

"This is your pilot, Miss Possible; I hope you slept well. We're approaching the Spanish coastline and we should be over the Mediterranean and approaching Senior Island in a little over an hour. That should give you and your team time to prepare. In the meantime, since you've returned the call, I'll turn off the _alarm clock_…"

"Thank you…we'll be ready to go well before then," Kim replied, casting another glance at her prone boyfriend and hoping that she could back up that statement. Ron was famous for being able to sleep through an air-raid and this was no exception.

She also marveled at how well he managed to help her sleep when she was with him. On most missions, Kim was usually intensely focused and so "in the moment" that it was difficult to wind down even after the mission finished and she was at home in her own bed. But put her next to her boyfriend and somehow his presence put her at peace and allowed her to fall asleep in no time flat. However, this was no time to think about their sleeping arrangements (although Kim hoped that they would continue like this for the foreseeable future).

She went back over to the bed and gently shook Ron to wake him up. Predictably, he just mumbled something about not wanting to go to school and rolled over on his side. Kim could have gotten exasperated, but knowing who she was dealing with she gave him the slightest of grins before rolling him onto his back and proceeded to kiss him as hard as she could on his lips.

This had the desired effect of waking Ron up, as his eyes flew open and he began to gasp for air that was being cut off by his girlfriend's mouth. Not wanting to suffocate him Kim broke the kiss.

"Wake up baby…" she smiled sweetly at him.

"Man…a guy could get used to that kind of wakeup call," he mused between ragged breaths.

"Not that I didn't enjoy that," Kim began, "but it's time to get our heads in the game."

"Aw man…" he groused. Seeing that he had to get up he was about to look for his mission shirt when Kim started taking off her pajama bottoms. Ron let out a squeak and hid his head under the bedcovers.

"Relax Ron, I'm wearing underwear underneath and I'm pretty sure you've seen me like this before on other missions."

Actually, Kim knew they'd both seen each others naked bodies when Drakken had switched their minds a few years earlier. She didn't want to admit it, but that was the time she began to have feelings for Ron that were more than the friend variety. He actually had—in her opinion—a cute body that only got better over time with the physical activity of missions and his football career. Of course, she never admitted these feelings and attempted to push them aside until recently; a fact she still felt somewhat ashamed of, considering how they had progressed in their relationship.

Ron relaxed and continued looking for his mission clothes while Kim pulled on her signature black pants and purple sweater. With both teens dressed and Rufus awake and on his familiar perch atop Ron's shoulder, they made their way to the front of the plane.

"What's the sitch?" Kim asked the two pilots as they entered the plane's cockpit.

"Good day Miss Possible," the pilot acknowledged her. "We're approaching the Mediterranean and are less than 150 miles from the island. We should have you there right on schedule."

"Excellent," Kim replied. "_Ron_, Rufus and I will get our parachute packs ready for when we reach the drop zone." Kim placed emphasis on her boyfriend's first name, just to let everyone know that she wasn't the only member of Team Possible present.

"Actually, there's no need for parachutes," the pilot responded. "We've been instructed by Dr. Director herself to land the plane on the island where you _and_ your team will disembark."

"_Excuse me_?" Kim couldn't believe what she was hearing. "We're just going to land the plane on the island?"

"Uh…correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that maybe a bad idea?" Ron interjected. "I mean, usually Señor Senior, Senior doesn't just let anyone onto his island…well, unless it's for that poker game my boss always goes to."

"All I can tell you is that we have clearance from Dr. Director herself to land this plane on Señor Senior's private airstrip," The pilot announced to the two teens. "You can wait in the passenger cabin until we land."

"This still makes no sense. Are you sure about these orders?" Kim asked, still not convinced of what she'd heard.

"Would you prefer to take it up with Dr. Director herself?" the pilot responded in an irritated tone. "When my boss gives me a direct order I tend to follow it if I want to keep my job. Now, if you'll have a seat in the rear cabin we'll soon be landing."

Kim wanted to argue the point some more but a hand on her shoulder from Ron stopped her. That still didn't make her any less tweaked when they returned to the passenger area of the plane.

"Why aren't you more worried about this?" she inquired in a serious tone. "You even said back there that Señor Senior never lets anyone just show up on his island, other than his poker buddies. God knows all the other times we've been there he's had his full security out in force, now all of a sudden he's rolling out the red carpet?"

"As usual you're right KP," Ron began, "but to be honest; even though this sitch _is_ making my weirdar jump, I think we should trust that Dr. Director wouldn't send us into a situation that we couldn't handle."

He could tell by Kim's incredulous gaze that she wasn't convinced, so he tried another tack. "Maybe the Seniors are getting tired of the whole villainy thing and want to go straight; I mean they only started doing it out of boredom…"

A raised, perfectly-sculpted auburn eyebrow stopped that thought dead in its tracks.

"Well…um…ok, maybe I might have had just a tiny bit to do with that," Ron responded nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "Look at it this way," he quickly added, "Senior and Junior have never been _evil-_evil—at least, not compared to some of the other baddies we've faced—so even though it sounds crazy, it _could_ be possible that they've changed their ways."

"Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" Kim asked in an incredulous tone of voice. "Since when did _you _become so philosophical and astute?"

"Well…the Ron-man is all about the philosophy…what with the 'never be normal' and all of that. But also the Ron-man kind of likes the whole not jumping out of airplanes when we can just land on an airstrip, what with the screaming and the terminal velocity and things of that nature…"

Kim wanted to say something but instead ended up stifling the laugh that was trying to escape her lips. "Why do I even bother?" she groaned into her palm between giggles. "You're such a goof sometimes…"

"I am what I is," was the sandy-haired teen's response as he squeezed her hand.

Kim responded with a hand squeeze of her own as the two heroes settled in for the eventual landing.

* * *

><p>With only a slight bump due to the minor crosswinds, the Global Justice plane touched down on the runway of the private airstrip belonging to Señor Senior, Senior. Five minutes later, the jet had taxied onto the small airport's tarmac and came to a stop. The door opened and Kim and Ron—with Rufus riding on his shoulder—stepped out into the midday Mediterranean sunshine. Shielding their eyes, the two teen heroes took stock of their current surroundings.<p>

"Looks like other than us and the flight crew, we're the only ones here right now," Kim remarked. Turning to Ron, she met his gaze. "You still believe that the Seniors are going to be welcoming us with open arms?" she asked.

"Look on the bright side KP, we're not being attacked either."

"You have a point there," she replied. Just then something in the distance caught her eye, although it was difficult to see with the sun beating down on them.

"Or maybe they're just getting lazy and only sending two security guards after us," he quipped as the object came closer into view. Indeed, it appeared to be a golf cart with two occupants in it. As it approached, Kim and Ron saw that the cart held the elder Senior and was being driven by one of his servants.

"Ah…Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable," the elderly Spaniard greeted the two teens as the cart came to a halt in front of them. "Welcome to my humble island. I trust I have not startled you too much by the way I have chosen to greet you. It is certainly not the way you are accustomed to, no?"

"Actually, I was just mentioning to KP here that this is way better than the usual way we show up on your island what with dodging spinning tops of doom, electric wire fences, and who can forget the alligator pits?" Ron remarked dryly.

"Indeed," the Catalonian gentleman chuckled and the blonde's observation. "It certainly cuts down on the cost of villain supplies, especially considering HenchCo has raised their prices recently."

"Inflation…" Ron lamented. "It'll kill your bottom line in the long run."

"An astute observation, my young friend," Señor Senior agreed. "But come; let us not exchange small talk while the sun is at its peak. Come with me and I will take you to a much shadier place where you can rest from your long flight."

"Wait a minute," Kim held her arms up in protest. "What's to say that you won't throw us in some dungeon? Last time I checked, they definitely fit the bill for being shady and out of the sunlight."

"Miss Possible," Senior began in a serious tone, "while I do dabble in villainy, I am still a man of honor; as well as a gentleman. I would not be greeting you in this manner to simply lock you up and throw away the key; it would not be sporting of me."

"He has a point Kim," Ron chimed in. "He doesn't normally welcome us this way when we're here to foil one of his nefarious schemes."

"Your companion is correct," the elder Spaniard nodded his head in approval. "This is not part of a plot to defeat either of you, despite our history. For now you two are my guests and I assure you that I treat _all_ my guests with dignity; whether they be friend or foe."

Even though Kim was still extremely wary, it appeared that he was telling the truth. Reluctantly she let her guard down, nodding her understanding.

"Excellent," the Senior patriarch noted, motioning to the rear seat of the golf cart. "Come; let me show you my hospitality."

Kim and Ron grabbed their backpacks and climbed into the back seats. Señor Senior indicated to his driver that they could leave and gave the pilots of the jet a wave as the cart made its way across the tarmac towards the mansion complex.

* * *

><p>"I noticed you arrived in a normal transport jet instead of a hovercraft," Senior commented to his two guests as the cart entered the mansion compound. "Was it a comfortable flight?"<p>

"Actually, compared to even the commercial flights we've been on, it was quite pleasant," Kim responded.

"Yeah," Ron added. "Plus, the in-flight snackage was certainly above board."

"Mmmm…snackage…" Rufus nodded his head while rubbing his stomach.

"You _did_ insist on stopping to get Bueno Nacho," Kim pointed out.

"An excellent choice I might add," Ron replied very satisfied. "You know KP, if the airlines want to get customers back, instead of serving rubber chicken and mystery meat they should consider contracting out to places like Bueno Nacho. I know that I would be flying the friendly skies more often with the choice of a Naco or Chimmarito for dinner."

Kim was about to point out that Ron already had that choice on the ground as it stood when the cart stopped abruptly.

"We have arrived," their host announced as they disembarked in the mansion courtyard. "Allow my staff to take your bags to your room while I escort you to my boardroom. There you will meet the other guests staying here."

"Other guests…?" Kim became instantly suspicious.

"Fear not my young heroine," the elderly gentleman assured her. "All will be revealed shortly."

With some trepidation, the two teens followed their host through the nearest door and down a long hallway until they were standing in front of a large ornate oak door.

"Here we are," the old man paused before opening the door. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he announced, "Miss Possible and Mr. Stoppable have arrived."

Kim and Ron—not to mention Rufus—had looks of shock on their faces when the door to the boardroom opened. Sitting around the expansive table of Señor Senior's boardroom were Bonnie Rockwaller and her boyfriend Señor Senior, Junior; followed by Duff Killigan, Motor Ed and Camille Leon on one side. On the other side of the table was Dr. Betty Director, head of Global Justice; to her right was her number one field agent, Will Du. Sitting next to Du was another man that seemed familiar to both teens but neither of them could recall exactly who he was.

"Kimberly, Ronald," Dr. Director rose to greet the two teenagers, "I'm so glad that you made it. I'm very sorry for the lack of information before you got here, but it was necessary that we kept this mission highly classified until you arrived."

"It's nice to see you too, Betty," Kim replied to the eyepatch clad agent as she and Ron made their way to her side of the table. "I'm still ferociously confused about this whole sitch though. Just what kind of mission are we on right now?"

"Trust me Kim, by the time the day is out you will know all the details of why you're here," Dr. Director reassured the young redhead.

Kim was about to ask a second question—namely, why were a number of the world's supervillains sitting around Senior's boardroom table—when a familiar voice rang out directly across from her. "Nice to see you finally made it, K," Bonnie snarked, "I see you brought the second rate help along with you."

Kim affixed her gaze squarely at the tanned brunette across from her. She wasn't surprised at all to see Bonnie here—considering who she was dating—but at the same time, she really didn't feel like trading barbs with her high school nemesis. Unable to back down from Bonnie's challenge, Kim was about to respond with a comment of her own when Ron spoke up.

"Nice to see you too, Bon-Bon," he replied mockingly. "Speaking of second rate talent, can your boyfriend over there carry a tune without the aide of a suitcase?"

Bonnie's mouth opened and closed at that statement but it seemed like no words wanted to come out.

"I beg your pardon!" her muscular companion retorted before she could. "I will have you know—person that I recognize although I cannot for the life of me remember your name—I have been taking private singing lessons with the best teachers my father can provide. I assure you that my vocal talents are unmatched, and soon I will be showcasing them to the world as an international pop star!"

"It's amazing what they can do these days with Auto-Tune," Ron remarked dryly.

Junior's face fell at that comment. Bonnie just seethed. Kim couldn't contain the grin that was breaking out on her face. Ron was certainly holding his own against the self-proclaimed Queen of Middleton High. She for one, loved every minute of it.

"Come now," the elder Senior chided the four teenagers, "there is no time for such pettiness; especially with the matter we are all her for at hand." He looked around the room for a moment and continued. "It appears we have guests missing at this time. We shall wait until everyone is present before I begin."

Suddenly very familiar voices could be heard in the hallway leading up to the boardroom. "Ngg…hurry up Shego, we're going to be late!"

"Hey! It's not my fault you left my two-in-one shampoo plus conditioner back at the lair! I spent almost half-an-hour with the cheap stuff in our room and it still looks like crap!"

"How was I supposed to know, we were in a hurry!"

"You know damn well how frizzy my hair gets in hot climates! Seriously Drew, how long have you known me now?"

"That depends, are we talking about before or _after_ the incident?"

"Shh! I'm not ready to tell people about us yet!"

As the two figures rounded the corner it was obvious to everyone in the room that the voices belonged to Shego and Dr. Drakken.

"Well…looks like the gang's all here!" Shego remarked as she looked over the assembled group. "I should have known you two would be here by now," her voice took on a cold inflection as she gazed upon Ron and Kim.

"Hello, Shego…" Kim stood up and moved in front of Ron into a combat stance. Ron mimicked her from behind.

Shego merely smirked while a green glow emanated from her hands.

Across from her, a faint blue light began to shine in Ron's eyes…


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks to DeucesWild for beta reading. You rock in stereo like Wade!_

* * *

><p>Dodgeball: Part 2<p>

"_Enough!"_

Everyone in the room turned their heads in the direction of their diminutive host's outburst.

"My humble guests," the elderly Spanish gentleman began in a very serious tone of voice, "if you continue to try my patience, I will ask you all to leave my island. My hospitality only extends so far."

"He's right," Dr. Director interjected. "Kim, Ron; please sit down. Drakken and Shego, you too…"

Kim—along with Ron—returned to their seats at the request of the eye-patch clad spy. Meanwhile, Shego and Drakken made their way down to the end of the table and sat in their own respective seats, the former with a noticeable scowl on her face.

"Ah, much better…" Señor Senior Senior observed once everyone had calmed down. "I trust we will be able to commence soon."

"Not quite," Dr Director responded. "We have to wait for one other person… _unfortunately._" She made no attempt to mask the contempt in her voice.

"Now, now, sister…"

Everyone at the table turned toward the doorway to see who had spoken those words. "You should be happy to see me, but I'm not surprised; given that you still refuse to give me any credit for what I've become!"

"Why on earth would I want to give any credit to you, _brother_...?" Dr. Director glared at her twin sibling.

Sheldon Director—AKA Gemini, the head of the Worldwide Evil Empire—stood in the doorway with a menacing grin crossing his features. Standing next to him, stood a mountain of a man with a similar menacing expression.

"All I've wanted my entire life is for you to respect me; after all, I _am_ your older brother!" The bearded spy proclaimed arrogantly.

"Oh please, _Sheldon!_ Are you _still_ going on about that? Four minutes does _not_ make you so much better than me!" Betty Director scoffed at her flesh and blood.

"Gemini, welcome; we are very happy you have arrived," Senor Senior interrupted the awkward Director family reunion. "With you and your protégé finally here we may get down to the business at hand." He motioned the two men to enter and sit down at the table. Betty Director glared daggers at her twin sibling the entire time as he and his partner made their way to their seats.

"Now that we are all here we may finally begin," Senor Senior Sr, addressed his guests. "First off, allow me to welcome you all to my humble abode."

"I hardly call this place humble," Drakken groused. "It makes the White House look like a rundown shack."

"Shh!" Shego elbowed her boss in the ribs.

"I thank you for your flattery Drew," the elder Spaniard smiled at the blue-skinned scientist. "I'm sure the first question on all of your minds is the purpose of this meeting."

"Aye," Duff Killigan interjected. "I have a feeling it's not about golf either, is it Senior?"

"I am sorry to disappoint you, my Scottish friend," he chuckled. "The purpose of this meeting is that I have an announcement to make." He paused for dramatic effect.

"Get to the point already Senior!" Gemini snapped at the elderly gentleman.

"Very well…" Senior Sr. replied in a slightly annoyed manner. "I have gathered you all here today to formally announce that I am retiring from the business of villainy."

As his words sunk in, shocked expressions gave way to whispering and animated chatter by most of those present. Only Bonnie, Junior and Gemini seemed to know that this revelation was imminent, judging from the smug looks on their faces.

"Wait; we had to like, fly all the way over here so you could, like, tell us that you're retiring?" Camille Leon's voice cut through the chatter. "Why not just, like, send us an email or something? she asked indignantly, before continuing in an undertone. "I could totally be out shopping right now!" she grumbled. "I mean, Junior has my number; he could have just, like, texted me and told me his dad was retiring. I could have planned the party and everything; I, like, needed a new dress anyway."

"Since when are you giving your phone number out to other girls?" Bonnie angrily addressed her boyfriend.

"But dearest," Junior stammered. "It's not what you think! Camille is, how do you say, my clubbing buddy."

"Whatever…" Bonnie sniffed.

"Forget ye boyfriend," Killigan scoffed. "I'm missing out on practicing me golf game for all of this tomfoolery!"

"Kind of hard to practice when every golf club in the world bans you," Ron observed dryly.

"Ach, the lad thinks he has a sense of humor, now does he?" the Scottish villain eyed Ron angrily. "We'll see how funny things get when you're dodging exploding golf balls!"

"Might as well use the non-exploding ones instead Duff," Kim interjected with a smirk. "Your aim is bad regardless of which balls you use."

"Why ye insolent lassie; I'll show you!" Duff erupted.

"Booyah! Score: Team Possible two, Duff Killigan zero!" Ron announced triumphantly.

The meeting was rapidly descending into chaos. Señor Senior, Sr. surveyed the situation grimly and did the only thing he could think of to bring it back to order: he brought his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. Instantly, everyone in the room fell silent.

"My esteemed guests," the elderly Spaniard spoke quietly but in his voice was a building rage, "if you cannot behave yourselves in my presence, then perhaps a trip to my dungeon will focus your minds better."

The entire table sat silently, not wanting to do anything to cause the patriarch to make good on his threat. Satisfied order had been restored—at least for the moment—he continued. "As I was saying: I am retiring from villainy because, at my advanced age, it has become difficult for me to continue to oversee my various schemes without affecting my health in a negative manner. Even though I consider perpetuating evil as a hobby, it is not without stress at times."

"You think you live a stressful life? You should try running an international spy organization and having to deal with your bratty sister competing with you at the same time," Gemini sneered.

"Can the sob story, _Sheldon_," Dr. Director fired back at her sibling.

"However," the Catalonian gentleman continued glaring at both the Director twins, "over my time as an international super criminal, I was able to gather a large amount of what you in the spy business refer to as 'intelligence'. I will not bore you with the details of how I acquired said information, only that I intend to use it to my advantage now that I am faced with retirement."

This time, no one interrupted him as he spoke. "It is my intention to award my precious information to the winner of a contest that I have devised, along with a substantial sum of money from my vast fortune. I must give credit where it is due; my son and his lovely companion were the ones who suggested the format of the contest."

"You mean you are finally using one of my ideas?" Junior could not hide his joy. "Oh, Father; you have no idea how thrilled I am for this momentous event to be taking place!"

"Uh…hello?" Bonnie shot back. "Who was it that came up with the idea in the _first_ place? You only suggested it because of _me_!"

"Yes, yes my love, but you do not understand the significance of Father agreeing to a plan that is not his. Usually he ignores my suggestions completely; or worse, hijacks _my_ schemes to suit his own purpose."

"You are correct my son, I have overreached at times. That is why I am agreeing to this idea of yours to see who is worthy of the gifts I am offering."

"So…let's pretend that the rest of us don't know what you're talking about in terms of secret contests and things of that nature…" Ron interrupted.

"What I am proposing young man is a game of dodgeball," the elder Senior announced. Ignoring the shocked or perplexed stares of his guests he continued. "This particular game was a favorite of mine during my youth, and it is now my wish as I leave the world of villainy behind and live out the twilight of my life that the people assembled at this table form two teams and do battle in the ultimate grudge match! The winning team will not only walk away richer, but also gain exclusive access to my vast information network."

"Dodgeball…?" Kim was taken aback by this revelation. "You mean to tell me that the fate of the world depends on the outcome of a game we used to play back in elementary school?"

"Pretty good idea don't you think, K?" Bonnie smirked at her rival. "Oh, that's right," she pondered, "if I recall correctly, you weren't that good at it back when we were kids. Wait, now that I think about it, you were actually _terrible_ at dodgeball…" Bonnie's grin was almost predatory.

Kim tried very hard to keep her cool in the face of her rival. Ron could tell that she was using every ounce of strength to restrain herself from jumping across the table and throttling Bonnie.

Across from his cousin, Motor Ed positively beamed. "Hear that Drew? We get to play dodgeball, my favorite game back when I was a kid! It's going to be awesome, seriously!" Ed began making exaggerated air guitar sounds.

"I can hardly wait," Drew Lipsky grumbled.

"I hope I get to be on the same team as the Green Hotness, seriously!" Motor Ed gave Shego a suggestive look from across the table.

"Yeah…that sounds great Ed. How about, never in a million years!" Shego snapped back at the blonde haired motor fiend.

"Now," Senor Senior announced to everyone assembled, "since both Drs. Director have the most at stake in this contest I allowed them to pick their own teams. I ask that they direct their teams to their separate meeting rooms to go over the details of the upcoming match with them. Afterwards, my staff will direct you to your rooms where you will find your belongings waiting for you."

"Everyone on my side of the table come with me." Dr. Director addressed her team. "Drew and Shego, you're coming with us, too."

The former mad scientist and his main henchwoman both looked at each other like they didn't want to go with her but had no say in the matter.

"Three hours from now after your meetings and when you've all had a chance to freshen up, I invite you all to my dining room where a feast in your honor awaits. I look forward to seeing you all." With that, the diminutive Spanish billionaire turned around and left the room, followed shortly by Gemini and his team of Duff, Camille, Junior and Bonnie, as well as the large henchman.

Motor Ed was still sticking around the boardroom in an attempt to land himself on the same team as Shego. However, Bonnie stuck her head around the corner and ended that dream abruptly. "Forget it Ed, you're not on the same team as her!" she snapped at him. The mullet-crowned big man let his shoulders sag before following Kim's high school nemesis out of the boardroom.

"Thank God…" Shego breathed after he left. "That guy gets on every one of my last nerves. I can't believe he's so dense!"

"He is family though," Drakken commented wistfully.

"Don't remind me," she made a face. "I forgot up to this point what I was getting myself into…" Drakken responded with a small smile before being interrupted by Dr. Director.

"Alright everyone, lets get going; we have a lot to discuss," Betty Director motioned her team of Kim and Ron, Will Du, the familiar but nameless man, along with Drakken and Shego to follow her out of the boardroom. No one argued as she led her group down a hallway into a smaller boardroom.

* * *

><p>"Seriously Betty, what is the sitch?" Kim exclaimed to the eye-patch clad head of Global Justice when they were behind closed doors. "You dragged us out here to Senior Island on a moment's notice, kept us in the dark the whole time, and all to play some stupid game dreamed up by my ex-classmate and her boyfriend?"<p>

"I'm sorry that I kept you, Ron, and even Wade in the dark like that, but I had no other choice," Dr. Director responded somewhat remorsefully. "My superiors, however, demanded that I keep this unexpected development under wraps for as long as possible until we were able to deal with it."

Kim hit the call button on her Kimmunicator. "Did you manage to get any audio from that meeting Wade?"

"You bet Kim," the young tech guru replied with a smile. "I overheard the whole thing. Also, I received a priority email during the meeting from GJ that outlined the entire mission. What Señor Senior and Dr. Director are telling you is correct, you've been recruited to play in a game of dodgeball that will have worldwide repercussions."

"Wow," Ron broke in, "pressure much?"

"Wade is correct," Dr. Director interjected. "If we do not defeat my brother's team, then Señor Senior, Sr. will hand over a portion of his wealth and—more importantly—highly classified information about Global Justice and its allies. This will put us in an incredibly difficult position to stop the WEE from dominating the world."

"So let me guess; the people in this room are supposed to be the good guys and the rest are the bad guys?" Kim asked the head of Global Justice.

"You are correct in your analysis Kim," the head spy acknowledged.

"Good vs. Evil, fighting it out on the dodgeball court…" Ron broke in with dramatic effect. "Funny, but wasn't there a movie made about that?"

Kim arched her eyebrow at her boyfriend then turned back to Dr. Director. "So if we're representing GJ and all that's good in the world, what are they doing here?" Kim pointed her finger at her archenemies Drakken and Shego.

"Ngg…" the blue skinned villain replied. "It's sort of a long story."

"Yeah, Kimmie," his malachite mercenary added. "Let's just say that we owe Betty here a favor, and a few days ago she came to collect on it."

"Did it have to do with that medal that Drakken got from the United Nations a couple of days ago?" Kim inquired. "I have to say I was more than a bit shocked to see the guy who was always trying to take over the world getting a medal from them."

"I don't know, KP; the UN has been kind of sketchy on who they give awards to the past little while," Ron interjected.

"You're thinking of the Nobel Prize people, honey," Kim corrected him.

Drakken, meanwhile, was gritting his teeth in indignation. He was about to speak out and defend himself when Shego interrupted.

"Look, _Princess_…" she growled, "all I'm gonna say is that things have changed in the past few days. Whether or not it's for the better, I'm not really sure yet."

Kim found her confession very strange indeed and was about to press for more information from her green-skinned rival when Ron stepped forward. "Okay, I get that we're here as part of this team, as well as Will Du since he's a Global Justice agent."

"Number one agent thank you," the arrogant Asian corrected Ron. Unfortunately his comments were met with hard stares from everyone present.

"Moving on…" Ron continued, "while I'm not exactly sure why Dr. D and Shego are part of this team—what with the constant evil plots and what-have-you—what I'm really wondering right now is how this guy here fits in to all of this," he finished, jerking his thumb at the man standing on the far side of the room; who hadn't said a word since they had entered Senor Senior's main boardroom.

"Allow me to introduce myself then," the man spoke up. "Or in the case of Kim and Ron re-introduce myself. My name is Joe…Joseph Andryechuk, and I am the main Global Justice operative in Canada."

All of a sudden a light-bulb went off in Kim's head. "I thought I recognized you!" she exclaimed. "You're Joe the janitor from our high school!"

"Quick as a whip Miss Possible," the Canadian agent remarked. "But I expect nothing less from you _or_ your partner." He motioned graciously towards Ron.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again," Kim replied while going to shake his hand. "I really appreciate you calling Ron my partner as well." The redhead beamed towards her boyfriend.

"Nice to meet you again dude," Ron also shook the Canadian agent's hand. "But I still don't quite understand what you're doing here with us."

"Well, as one of the senior agents in Canada for Global Justice, I was contacted by Dr. Director here because of my familiarity with one of the hired guns on the other team."

"Which player would that be?" Kim questioned him.

"Sergi Sergievich AKA the _Russian Nightmare_." Dr. Director interjected. "He was the big guy who came in with my brother."

"A former KGB agent, now Agent Alpha for Gemini and the WEE," Joe added. "We have a mutual history together. Back in the nineties he and I met in a hockey game with equally high stakes. It was a grueling affair between Global Justice and the WEE, but in the end we were able to prevail. A good thing, too; I might add." The Canadian agent got a faraway look in his eyes as he recounted his experience.

"So…you mean to tell me that a game held the fate of the world once before?" Kim arched her eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yes indeed, Miss Possible." Joe replied. "After that game Sergi and I became bitter rivals, so it doesn't surprise me that he's here. He's a ruthless individual, and it doesn't matter whether it's sports or in the field. All he cares about is winning."

"I can't believe I'm even a part of this sitch," Kim muttered as she ran a hand over her face. Turning to Dr. Director, she continued. "Bonnie's right, you know; I'm not very good at dodgeball. In fact, I'd rank my dodgeball skills up there with how I perform in a kitchen."

"Come on KP," Ron rested his hand on her shoulder. "Don't talk like that; you've got a team here that has your back." He motioned to the people in the room. "Plus, the Ron-man has a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to the dodgeball. I used to be a bondiggity player back in the day." Ron gave Kim his trademark goofy grin.

Kim giggled. "I remember now. Thanks Ron, for brightening me up." She smiled at her BFBF.

"Anytime KP," Ron replied warmly

Kim sighed. "Well, I guess if I want to live up to my motto then I have to at least try and hope for the best."

"That's the spirit, Kimberly," Dr. Director nodded her head. "Now, before I let you all go I need to go over the rules of the game to get all of you up to speed. Please sit down and Joe and I will explain all you need to know."

Everyone sat down at the table as the head of Global Justice and her Canadian counterpart began to explain the rules.

* * *

><p>Kim woke up in her bed, sweating profusely; the result of a horrible nightmare. In the dream she was eleven years old and at her old elementary school in gym class. The game they were playing that day happened to be dodgeball. She was the last one on her team and it was up to her to survive for at least a minute for her team to have a chance of getting back in the game. Unfortunately, she was up against five players on the other team; including her current rival, Bonnie Rockwaller.<p>

Even at eleven years old, Bonnie was taunting her and encouraging her team to eliminate her. Kim put up a valiant fight, but with three balls being thrown by the strongest boys in the class coming right at her, she was no match. All the balls hit their mark and knocked Kim to the ground hard. The last thing she remembered from her vivid dream was Bonnie continuing to taunt her and Ron screaming from the sidelines, he himself already having been eliminated.

The worst part of the dream was that it was a real memory. For all her talk and reassurances from Ron earlier that day, Kim was extremely nervous about this upcoming match. When she was in school she was often picked first or made captain in gym class. But when it came to dodgeball, she was so inept at the game that she was usually picked last by her peers. Even Ron would get picked before her, and sometimes even by the other team. She certainly didn't want to be a liability to her team, not with the ramifications of this match.

Kim looked over at the clock next to the bed and sighed. It was barely past one o'clock in the morning. The big game was scheduled for five o'clock that afternoon. She knew that she would need a good night's sleep to be able to fully compete, even if she wasn't the best player out there. Unfortunately, her best "sleeping aid" was unable to be with her at the moment.

Senor Senior Sr. was an old fashioned gentleman. As Ron wasn't quite at the age of majority, the elder Spaniard had not allowed Kim and Ron to stay in the same room while they were guests on his island. Kim had—of course—protested this arrangement, but the Spanish patriarch's rules were clear. World saving teen heroes or not, while they were on his island they were subject to his rules.

Naturally, Kim found this ferociously unfair. It reminded her of her father, although to be fair even her father—with some prodding from her mother—had occasionally let Kim sleep downstairs on the family couch with Ron on nights when they had stayed up late watching movies, even after they had officially become a couple. She couldn't understand why Señor Senior was unable to trust them where her father surprisingly did. It wasn't like they had the time or energy to try anything to begin with. They were on a mission, and that meant business before pleasure.

Seeing that she wasn't going to get back to sleep any time soon, Kim decided the best action would be to go for a walk. As she made her way out of her room and down one of the expansive hallways of Senior's mansion, Kim honestly wasn't sure if she could handle this sitch. Not having the person who was rapidly becoming the rock she could lean on in tough situations next to her was making her severely tweaked. Coupled with the fact that she had to play a game that she freely admitted she was weak at; then make the outcome of it have major global implications, and then—to increase the pressure even more—have the whole sitch be the brainchild of her high school rival. All of this was causing the redhead to become more and more stressed by the minute.

With her mind occupied, Kim didn't notice that she had come upon a door leading to the outside of the compound. Seeing that it wasn't locked, she proceeded to open the door, which opened onto a veranda. Kim initially found that the veranda was deserted; however, as she looked down to her right, she spied a figure sitting on a chair smoking a cigarette. Curious to see who this person was, Kim made her way down to where the figure was sitting. As she approached, the silhouette became very familiar and Kim realized just who she had stumbled upon.

"I didn't know you smoked, Shego." Kim remarked to the green skinned woman sitting at a table in the middle of the veranda.

"I used to smoke a lot more before you and your boy came around to foil our plans," the career thief replied before taking a drag. "Then when you two proved to be tough adversaries I gave it up to concentrate on getting in top physical shape so I could handle you guys. That did a hell of a lot of nothing for me so after a while I went back to the habit." She gave a smirk to her red-haired rival. "Truth is I'm trying to quit, but it isn't exactly easy."

Kim really didn't know how to respond, so she simply sat down in the empty chair across from the raven haired villainess. They both sat in silence for a moment until Shego broke the ice.

"I guess you can't sleep either, huh, Princess?"

"You'd be correct there Shego," Kim replied.

"Figures…let me guess, you miss sleeping next to your man?" Shego asked, somewhat knowingly.

"How the hell did you figure that out?" Kim asked incredulously.

"I told you, I guessed," the mint-skinned criminal replied with a grin. "But knowing you, it doesn't surprise me that you're less than impressed with Papa Senior's old-fashioned house rules."

"That's the understatement of the century," Kim sighed. "So what's the sitch with you being out here?" she asked after a moment.

"Drew snores worse than a congested bear sawing wood," Shego remarked dryly. "It's not exactly something a girl can get used to, if you know what I mean."

Kim stared out at the night sky. It was clear with a full moon. Beyond the veranda was the security wall of Senior's compound and beyond that was the beach where a light breeze from the ocean caused waves to wash up on shore. Kim wanted to ask a specific question of her arch-foe, but she wasn't sure if it would be received very well. Seeing that there was an awkward silence developing between them, Kim decided that moving the conversation along was more important than worrying about embarrassment.

"So…" she began. "What's the deal between you and Drakken? Considering you just called him by his real name again and all…"

Shego stared out at the ocean for what seemed like an eternity before speaking. "As much as I hate to admit it Kimmie, you're a smart girl so why don't you figure it out?"

Kim turned to face her most frequent adversary and tried in vain to hide the smile that was breaking out all over her face. "So you're actually admitting I was right about you two?"

Shego looked like she wanted to shoot daggers at Kim but instead turned her head away while taking another hit from her cigarette. "Yeah…it pains me to say it, but you were right. Happy now?" she turned back towards the young redhead.

"It all makes sense if you ask me," Kim remarked. "Why else would you have stayed with him all these years? Unless he was paying you really well…"

"Drakken pay well? Shego snorted. "You know what, Princess? Sometimes you can be a real hoot. He didn't pay worth beans most of the time; the only reason I stayed around—or at least the one I justified to myself—was that, by and large, it was fun work. Namely because I didn't have to do much of it…"

"Come again?"

"Other than scrapping with you on a regular basis and maybe stealing something, I didn't have to do much when I was around Drakken." Shego replied. "Basically, my job was to just let him come up with whatever crazy scheme of the week it was and make sure he got out relatively unscathed when you two came by to ruin it."

"So why now?" Kim arched her eyebrow in inquiry. "I mean did you just wake up one day and decide you wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with your boss?"

"Shego pondered for a minute before answering. "After the Moodulator incident I started getting these weird feelings when I was around him. I tried pushing them aside and rationalized that it was just some crazy after effects. But then I did some research and discovered that the device only enhanced what was already there. Of course—being who I was—I refused to believe it and continued to push whatever I was feeling deep inside."

"What finally brought it out then?" Kim asked.

"Having to save his butt when those aliens attacked made me think—regardless of his flaws and weirdness—the world would kind of suck without him," Shego offered a small smile at her assertion.

"Sounds like you went through what Ron and I went through, then," Kim observed. "I guess this means you have a thing for older guys, huh?"

Shego put her palm over her face. "You so did _not_ just go there…"

"Hey, don't blame me. You were the one who went on the date with Mr. Barkin," Kim grinned. "You even wanted me and Ron to come along."

"Ugh…I can't believe you went there!" Shego groaned.

"It's what I do Shego," the teen hero grinned even wider. "Seriously though, I do have one more question for you since you're here right now."

"You're just full of questions right now aren't you?" Shego looked at her red haired rival incredulously.

"Well…" Kim retorted. "You never answered my question earlier."

"Fine," the emerald mercenary sighed. "I know what your question is going to be so don't bother asking."

"I'm waiting…" Kim pressed the point.

"Would you believe it if I said that Drakken and I have been talking and we're considering getting out of the villain game as well?"

"What…?" Kim could barely hide her shock.

"Crazy, I know. And before you ask; no, it wasn't because he got some medal from the UN—although saving the world _was_ kind of fun the one time we did it." Kim was still stunned from Shego's revelation so the green skinned villainess continued. "It may have something to do with being hit with the Attitudinator or Reverse Polarizer or whatever the hell you want to call it."

"Do tell," Kim eagerly asked her former rival.

"Well…since both of us have been hit with the thing a bunch of times, we found that world domination and evil schemes just weren't as appealing as they used to be. Maybe our change of relationship made a difference as well; it's hard to say," the raven haired woman explained.

"Are you saying you guys volunteered to go straight?" Kim was perplexed.

"Not exactly," Shego replied. "Betty Director did make us an offer which as of right now is confidential but I will say that it's the reason why were on team 'good guy' for this little match. Well, that and the rest of the villains here are all royal pains in the ass. Plus, you know how much I dislike Drew's cousin…" she added with a smirk.

Kim replied with her own knowing smile.

"Anyway, it's kind of late and I think I've told you enough for one evening." Shego stubbed out her cigarette and got up from the table. "If you want my unsolicited advice, I suggest you get back to your room and get some sleep, Princess; you're going to need all of your energy for tomorrow."

Kim tried to stifle a yawn but to no avail. "You're right, Shego; I guess I'd better get back to my quarters. It sucks not having Ron there but I'll have to make do. Otherwise I'd be breaking my own motto," she added with a grin aimed at her former foe.

For her part Shego rolled her eyes at Kim's dedication. "Whatever works for you Kimmie," she shot back as she parted company with her teenage companion.

"Hey…Shego?" Kim called after her.

"Yeah," she stopped in her tracks and turned her head.

"Thanks," Kim smiled at the mercenary.

Shego turned around fully to face Kim with a smile of her own. "No problem, kiddo." She made her way back to the door Kim came through and disappeared through it, leaving Kim outside with her thoughts.

* * *

><p>Morning came and Bonnie's charges were meeting in Senior's gymnasium for a pre-game warm-up. As facilities went, it wasn't particularly lavish compared to the rest of the mansion; it was a little larger than an average elementary school gymnasium, but had enough space to hold a dodgeball court as well as some bleachers for spectators. It was on these bleachers that Bonnie's team sat at the end of their practice.<p>

"Alright, here's the deal," the tanned brunette addressed her charges. "Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about his father's little games or what they have to do with his plans for world domination." Bonnie first pointed a manicured finger at her boyfriend, then at Gemini. "All I care about right now is beating Possible and her loser boyfriend. I spent my whole high school career being second fiddle to her and it ends today!" she snarled with a scowl.

"Is that why we're being worked like dogs?" Duff asked between ragged breaths. The Scotsman wasn't used to all this physical activity; rather, he was used to a leisurely walk around a golf course, not having to sweat it out dodging foam covered balls in a gymnasium.

"You're being worked like a dog because you're fat and out of shape!" Bonnie shot back. "Maybe if you ate less of those disgusting sheep insides you'd do better!"

"Don't ye go disrespecting me dear Gramm's haggis!" Duff bellowed.

Bonnie, however, had turned her ire towards the shape-shifting member of her team, thus ignoring the mad golfer. "Ok Camille," she said, "if I catch you not paying attention and texting one more time, I'm taking your phone and throwing it in the shark tank…and then throwing you in after it!"

"But…my friend just, like, told me about this hot sale they're having right now in Milan!" the spoiled debutante whined.

"You can shop _after_ we win!" Bonnie snapped in a tone that brooked no further discussion, leaving Camille to sulk as the team captain turned to the next member of her motley crew.

"As for you, Ed," she got right in mulleted biker's face, "if I hear you use the word 'seriously' again, I'm taping your mouth shut with duct tape…"

"Seriously?" he asked.

Bonnie nearly lost it right there, but managed to keep her composure. "Yes, Ed…_seriously!"_ she replied between gritted teeth.

"The only two decent players here are Sergi and my sweetie pie," Bonnie smiled warmly at Senor Senior, Junior, "the rest of you better step up your game between now and this afternoon. Now, let's go get something to eat, I'm starving!" She turned to exit the gym. The rest of her team grumbled quietly, but eventually got up to follow her to the main dining room.

As luck would have it, Bonnie's team was leaving the gymnasium just as their opponents were arriving for their own practice. Seeing her arch-rival, Bonnie couldn't resist yet another dig at Kim. "Oh look, the loser squad is here," she sneered. "I hope you all are ready to bring your 'A' game to this little match later on today; I wouldn't want to feel like I was wasting my time with a bunch of second-raters. Of course, the way K plays…" she added, twisting the knife.

To say Bonnie was the last person Kim wanted to see was an understatement. Even after her late night talk with Shego, she still hadn't gotten a very good sleep. Though he was by her side now, not having Ron sleeping next to her made the redhead extra irritated that morning. To top it off, having Bonnie mouthing off at her was officially putting her into nuclear fury territory.

Kim began moving towards Bonnie to respond to her insults when she was stopped by a pair of hands. Ron had instantly sensed his girlfriend's frustration and had wisely put his hands on her shoulders to keep her from confronting the arrogant brunette. He knew from first hand experience what Bonnie was like, but at this point getting into a verbal or physical confrontation wasn't going to help their chances at winning. If anything, it would confirm that their opponents were getting inside Kim's head.

As Kim's team passed them by and disappeared around the corner to the gym, Bonnie couldn't hide her glee. She didn't even have to come up with a creative insult and Possible was ready to snap.

_This is exactly what I was hoping for…_she allowed herself a smug smile. _Possible has enough self-doubts as is. If I can get inside her head she'll totally be a detriment to her team. With her neutralized there's no way we'll lose, even if my team is pretty much useless…_

Bonnie continued to grin as she made her way down the hallway.

* * *

><p>"Damn it! I just can't take this anymore!"<p>

Betty Director had just entered the gym and was more than a little surprised at who was uttering these words. Instead of conducting a team practice like she was supposed to as team captain, Kim was instead standing in the middle of the gym ranting and raving in a way that Betty had never seen before.

"Amp down, KP," Ron tried his best to calm her down. "You need to lay off the quitter talk, remember how things went the last time you were talking like that? Everything worked out fine."

"_That_…was a different time," Kim shot back. "But this…first we have to give up our weekend together, and then we have to play some stupid game with the fate of the world in our hands, and _then_—to top it all off with a cherry—I have to listen to Miss Mouth flapping her gums. You have no idea how badly I wanted to slap her upside the head! At least she got to sleep with her boyfriend last night!"

"Kimberly!" The one-eyed spy intervened. "I can't believe you're going on like this! Have you lost your mind?

Kim's shoulders sagged. She turned around to face the older woman not unlike the times she had been caught misbehaving by her mother. "I'm ferociously sorry Dr. Director," Kim began sheepishly, "but so far this sitch has been _so_ much the drama. I really don't have my head in the game right now…I'm totally bringing every one down."

The head of Global Justice looked at the teen heroine sympathetically. "I understand, Kim; and to be honest, all of this caught us off guard as well. However, as you are more than experienced with these types of situations, you know about being able to adapt." The spy fixed her one good eye squarely on Kim.

Kim sighed. "Yeah…you're right; I shouldn't have gone off like that," she said. Almost instantly, however, her face contorted into a scowl and her fists clenched at her sides as she continued. "But…that…_bitch_! She pushes my buttons worse than my brothers!"

Everyone looked very surprised at Kim's choice of words regarding Bonnie.

"Betty, if I may?" Shego interrupted the two of them. She placed a hand gently on Kim's shoulder and prompted her to turn around.

"Look Princess, I'm not one to mince words here so hear me out. From the time I first met you, you've done things that ninety-nine percent of the population wouldn't have a hope in hell of accomplishing. Whether it was foiling supervillains like me and Drew, saving the world, or even just getting through the normal everyday stuff; you were able to do it all. But what used to really drive me nuts is the way you made everything look so damn effortless!"

Kim had spent the past few minutes looking at the floor, but raised her head up to look her former enemy in the eyes when she said those words.

"I've seen you live up to that crazy motto of yours time and time again, so you'll forgive me if I don't see why the hell you need to get all worked up about Bonnie and this 'stupid game' as you keep putting it. Don't get me wrong," she continued. "I'm tired of the snotty bitch too…but the more you let her work you, the harder it'll be to come out on top of this. The good news is that you've got a whole team here that's got your back, but we need you just as much as you need us." Shego stopped to let her words sink in.

Kim couldn't believe what she was hearing from the former villainess, but somehow it made her feel a whole lot better. She looked over at Ron, who flashed her a thumbs up and his usual goofy grin.

"You're right, Shego; the pity party is over as of right now." Kim stiffened her back. "Like I've always said…_I can do anything_."

Kim turned to face Betty. "That includes knowing when I need some backup. I appreciate the honor, but I'd like to step down as team captain."

"As you wish Kim…" the spy director nodded her head. "I don't know who will want to replace you though."

"What about me?" Shego asked. "Look at it this way Betty, it allows me to prove to you that I can turn over a new leaf, plus take on a leadership role."

"I appreciate the offer, Shego," the eye-patch clad spy replied, "however, given what's occurred in the past, I feel compelled to ask the rest of the team; starting with Kim." Turning to Kim, she posed the question. "Well Kim, are you okay with Shego taking over the captain's duties?"

Kim thought for a moment. "Honestly? I'm a little bit hesitant, considering our past history. But…if it gives us an advantage then I'm willing to go along with it."

"Thanks, Princess; coming from you, that's actually a compliment," Shego nodded to her teen rival.

"Very well," Dr Director nodded. "As long as everyone else is in agreement, I'm also willing to go along with it."

She looked around the room. No one seemed to be arguing with the change of team leadership. Will Du looked like he wanted to say something, but a glare from Shego forced him to stare at the floor instead. Drakken for his part positively beamed at his significant other.

"Alright then…" Shego took note of her team's acceptance. "Goof off time is officially over!" She gave one of her trademark devious grins. "We've got a game of dodgeball to win!"

Everyone in the gym let out a cheer. What started out as a crisis was now resolved and the entire team put their full effort into the practice that followed.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Next chapter the match to decide the fate of the world begins! Who will come out on top? Tune in to find out! Until then, reviews are always welcome._

_Catch y'all later!_

_jkrust78_


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